China, Russia rebuke US over sanctions against North Korea

World Powers, China and Russia have both rebuked the US over proposed sanctions and military threat against North Korea.

Both countries expressed their displeasure at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on North Korea which also highlighted the diplomatic challenges of resolving tensions over Pyongyang.

The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the United Nations Security Council that it is time to take action against the North led by Kim Jong Un amid its continued missile activities.

Tillerson warned on Friday that failure to curb North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to ‘catastrophic consequences.

Reacting to Tillerson’s call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the 15-member council it was not only up to China to solve the North Korean problem.

“The key to solving the nuclear issue on the peninsula does not lie in the hands of the Chinese side,” Wang told the council in blunt remarks that Tillerson later rebuffed.

US President Donald Trump has also warned that a major conflict with North Korea over its missile activities is possible but noted that he would like to see a diplomatic solution to the standoff.

“There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview on Thursday.

Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve a crisis that has bedeviled multiple US presidents, a path that he and his administration are emphasising by preparing a variety of new economic sanctions while not taking the military option off the table.

About Us

The NEXT EDITION newspaper is published by the Next Edition Business Development Limited, a first-rate media organization based in Lagos, and totally committed to the pursuit of truth and the ideals of responsible journalism.